Legendary chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se talks trends, talent, and the joys of In-n-Out Burger.

DO YOU HAVE ANY KITCHEN KEEPSAKES? I'm a little bit superstitious. My palette knife is really important to me; so are my pepper mills. I bought two in Germany about 15 years ago and have never been able to find anything like them.

WHAT'S A GOOD TREND YOU'RE INTERESTED IN? I'm more interested in movements—things that begin with integrity and that are going to be with us for a long time. Over the past 35 years we've seen a move toward chefs owning and controlling restaurants. It has changed America's culinary reputation.

YOU'RE KNOWN FOR SPOTTING TALENT. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A COOK? People talk about passion, but to me it's not about that—passion ebbs and flows. What I look for is the desire to come to work every day and do a better job than yesterday.

WHAT'S ONE MEAL THAT CHANGED THE WAY YOU THOUGHT ABOUT FOOD? A meal I had at Michel Guérard's in 1981. It was my first experience in a three-star restaurant. I thought, Is that really all it is? It didn't blow my mind. And then I realized that I'd had one of the most perfect meals of my life. What ruined it was my expectations.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING THAT EXCITED YOU ABOUT FOOD? I get inspired by our ingredients. Yesterday I walked into the French Laundry and saw this abundance of Rainier and Bing cherries. It was like someone had taken them off the tree and hand-polished them; they were so shiny.

For the marinade, place the basil, thyme, and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Add ½ cup olive oil and pound the mixture until the fragrance of the herbs and garlic comes out. Put the chicken in a bowl and cover with the marinade. This can be done up to one day in advance.

FOR THE SALAD

Cut the tomatoes into large chunks (too small and they lose their intense flavor). Place in a large mixing bowl, add the olives, and season with the remaining olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper. This can be left to marinate for an hour. Tear the olive bread into big chunks. In a large sauté pan, fry the bread in olive oil until golden and crispy. Drain on a kitchen towel.

TO SERVE

Grill the chicken and let it rest. Divide the tomatoes and the olives among four plates. Scoop and ample serving of ricotta onto each plate, add the croutons, then loosely place the arugula on it. Put the chicken on top and drizzle the remaining juice from the tomatoes over it.